Farm Fresh Blog

Would you read this sign, look in the yard and see a police K9 truck, and STILL open the gate to walk into a GATED COMPOUND?

I'm just askin'.

It happened like this:

I'm getting ready for work. In the shower. Nekkid. I point this out merely so you can understand my predicament. Other Half is in bed. Asleep. Deep sleep. Now I'm happily scrubbing up with my goat milk soap when I hear the sound of blue heeler peeling out of the bathroom so fast that he broke the sound barrier. Stick my head around shower curtain. See nothing. Hmmmm.... go back to shower. Then hear all hell breaking loose at the front door. Peek around shower curtain. See nothing. Darn. Tip toe nekkid to bathroom door. See power company truck at front gate. Double darn.

I count them on my fingers to make sure I haven't forgotten anyone. (when you have 8 dogs you have to do that!)

Definitely sounds like five dogs raging at the front door. Hear echo of two dogs in kennels raging. They almost drown out the knock at the door.

Yes! You read that right. A KNOCK AT THE DOOR!

I am standing in my hallway, naked as a jaybird, still wet, with five dogs raging at the front door, and someone at the door. (note: husband has not even rolled over in bed)

Tiptoe back to bedroom and wake up husband. Inform him that someone is AT THE DOOR! Someone has ignored BEWARE OF DOG/CAUTION POLICE WORK DOG signs and walked right through the gate. Other Half jumps out of bed to get door. He lacks social skills on a good day, but I am less than concerned about him hurting anyone's feelings at the moment.

After all, it takes a special kind of person to ignore those signs.

I hear him snarling at dogs. I hear him walk outside. Then I hear muffled talking, but no shouting. Still, I get dressed quickly and head out there myself.

By some miracle they are talking civily. I listen as the man explains that he "reads dogs really well" and wasn't worried about being bitten. I assure him that when a blue heeler is attached to his leg or a malinois is attached to his a@# he might re-think his actions. He is clearly unconcerned. He tells me that EVERYONE has these signs and he walks past them all the time with no problem.

I then ask, "Everyone has a BEWARE! POLICE SERVICE DOG sign?"

He allows as how not everyone has that particular sign.

"With a POLICE truck in the yard?"

He allows as how he saw that too, and no, not everyone has those either.

Other Half and I are clearly dumbfounded. The man is nice enough, but we cannot get him to understand that it was pure dumb luck that out of eight dogs, (four of those that would probably bite), he happened to walk through the gate when only the most friendly dog was loose. He is still confident that he wouldn't be bitten. Even by the unfriendly dogs.

Even by Blue Heeler The Space Cadet that we have to drag across Texas on every vacation because he's such a freakin' psycho that no one else wants to take care of him.

I emphasize to him that for the safety of THE DOGS he must respect these signs. I explain that the DOGS are the ones who get into trouble when someone ignores all warnings and walks through closed and chained gates, and gets bitten by a dog. Society and insurance companies blame the dog and the homeowner.

He still doesn't get it. He has a job to do. He needs to get in the yard.

I point out that our phone numbers are in his database. He agrees that they are but he didn't call them.

Did he honk the horn?

No, the dog seemed friendly.

I ask myself how many police dogs look like Briar.

After much discussion, we still couldn't convince him that for his safety and the safety of our dogs, and every other dog he encounters, he needs to stay out of the freakin' yard! (And call the phone number provided) Will he do it again? Yes. Yes, I'm sure he will.

He must not like dogs if he is willing to put a dogs life at risk as you pointed out. Stupid man. Can you lock the gate, so if he did get into your yard that the dogs wouldn't be held liable?

Posted by Sharon on 02/10/2013 - 07:06 PM

It's real simple: call his supervisor at the power company. Explain to someone who hopefully has TWO functioning brain cells that it was only through the grace of God (or whatever Power he/she believes in) that said employee did not A - get shot or B - get eaten.
I read dogs well, and I respect dogs a whole lot - and one does not screw with dogs that work!

Posted by Beth on 02/10/2013 - 09:05 PM

Similarly, the picture of someone watching over the shoulder of a bomb squad guy "doing his thing" may not be staged.

Posted by Eric on 02/10/2013 - 10:36 PM

Briar's just as capable of teeth as our meter reader discovered when he thrust his meter reading thingy into Blossom the Pyrs face just because she was cross checking his smell to her data base. She went from sniffing dog to barred snapping teeth backed up by a low grumbly growl and "your not getting out of the gate" stance 'till my mistress turns up" Needless to say he never tried that again. Meter now remotly read.

Posted by Liz (Vict Aust) on 02/10/2013 - 11:50 PM

When Lex was a pup, she was outside playing, and I heard her barking, so I went out immediately...she was wrapped around a tree (chained), and a stranger was approaching her...I was like "Um, she's kind of cornered and doesn't like being approached by strangers, best leave her alone."
Her answer? "Oh, it's fine, I Know dogs. Dogs love me."
Um..yeah. Great. People are stupid. And Lex was/is well-socialized, but wary of strangers and VERY protective of "her" territory. Crazy border collie.
Nowadays, she doesn't get outside time on a chain...sorry Lex, but not worth the risks.
All we can do to protect our four-legged family is exactly what you did, I think. Kennel, house, innaccessible to the idiots of the world.

Posted by AlbertaGirl on 02/11/2013 - 09:43 AM

glad your dogs are smart enuf to know not to have a battle of wits with an unarmed opponent.

Posted by clairesmum on 02/11/2013 - 12:00 PM

I would definitely call the company he works for. There is no excuse for that!

Posted by Lisa French on 02/11/2013 - 03:28 PM

I agree with Beth - call the company, get a supervisor or above and let them know what that idiot did. I used to read electric meters and my supervisor was very receptive to customer complaints about readers (read that to say we got our asses chewed when necessary). This guy needs to be stopped!

Posted by Patty on 02/11/2013 - 05:48 PM

Can you call his supervisor and complain? Especially since you have a working police dog. That is one sign that should not be ignored.

Posted by Rachel on 02/11/2013 - 07:45 PM

You can't fix stupid.

Posted by Janet on 02/11/2013 - 08:40 PM

I would also explain to the company that he works for, that should one of your police dogs escape while he is opening/closing the gate, they would be responsible for any injuries that dog incurs, causes or the cost of replacing him if need be for the police department. Nicely, of course.... Maybe the K9 units can have a 'call-making' representative who calls on companies whose employees do this sort of thing to reinforce this?

Posted by Lisa French on 02/13/2013 - 02:06 PM

30 years ago (read: pre-litigious era) my meter reader jumped over a locked gate with a Beware of Dog sign on it into my back yard. The Dobe I had at that time put him about ten feet up in the orange tree within something like four seconds flat.
I LOVE locked gates! And signs. Signs are good too. But even then you can get stupid people who think they are completely beyond all those pesky obstacles and just jump the fence.
I agree that a supervisor should be called, but I think that you should also send something in writing so you can prove that there were multiple warnings before the next time this clown shows up. Being a supervisor is no guarantee of extra brain cells.

Posted by Lisa Ochoa on 02/13/2013 - 04:30 PM

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